Various types of sliding doors are known in the prior art. In fact, the technology of sliding doors is relatively well-known and well-developed. Such doors, which are typically known as French doors, are utilized to provide access, for example, to patios and decks. Such access is provided, typically, from residences with such patios and decks are associated.
When French doors are provided as a primary closure, for example, to a residence from a patio or a deck, special attention must be given to the manner in which the door can be locked. In the prior art, locking jaws or studs extending from a stile engaged, when the door is closed, against the jamb, have been provided. In the case of locking jaws, when the leading stile is moved to a point at which it is received within a channel defined by frame members comprising the jamb, the jaws are actuated to latch over bars or other members. Such latching precludes withdrawal of the door panel to an open disposition.
In the case of locking studs, the studs, carried by the stile of the door panel, are urged into the jamb as the door is closed. Once the door is in a closed disposition, means are actuated to effect capture of the studs to hold the door against opening.
In either case, dangerous protrusions, extending from the stile, are present which can occasion injury. Because of the nature of French doors and the fact that they are, typically, provided in locations where people frequently and quickly enter and leave, there is a tendency to be rather careless in passing through the open door.
Additionally, a frequent location of such doors is one wherein ingress and egress from and to a patio or deck is afforded thereby. People passing through such doors, therefore, are very often passing through an open French door to check on food in a barbeque or perform some other action which involves a relatively small amount of time. A person very casually exists and enters back into the house. Again, causion is rarely exercised.
Because of the protrusions which locking jaws and studs provide, injury to homeowners can, and frequently does, result. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a locking system which is, at the same time, secure and unlikely to cause injury. Additionally, an object of a desirable system would be to minimize the damage to components of the system when effecting locking and unlocking operations.
It is to these dictates of the prior art and the problems of the prior art described above that the present invention is directed. It is a system for effecting locking of a sliding door panel which addresses these dictates and problems.